What is "hogchoker"

Hogchoker \Hog"chok`er\, n. (Zo["o]l.) An American sole ( Achirus lineatus syn. Achirus achirus), related to the European sole, but of no market value.

n. (taxlink Trinectes maculatus species noshow=1), a small flatfish found along the coast of parts of North America.

n. useless as food; in coastal streams from Maine to Texas and Panama [syn: Trinectes maculatus]

The hogchoker (Trinectes maculatus) is a small flatfish found along the Atlantic coast of North America, ranging from Massachusetts and Florida to Panama. They prefer brackish water, and are abundant in many bays and estuaries north of the Carolinas (another similar species replaces it south of the Carolinas). It is a member of the American sole family Achiridae. They are usually brown to dark brown in color, and lighter on their "blind side" (side lacking an eye). The overall body color is often broken by a series of spots and thin stripes, which can be lighter or darker than the main body color. The fins and tail have fringed edges helping hide the fish from its prey. They mainly feed on small aquatic insects and invertebrates.

Distinguished from other species by an interbrachial septum lacking a foramen, T. maculatus often has no (rarely one) ray(s) in its pectoral fin.